Gadon, Marcoleta, Zubiri added to Marcos-Duterte senatorial slate
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 20) — Presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos and running mate Sara Duterte have included three more people to their official list of senatorial picks: suspended lawyer Larry Gadon, congressman Rodante Marcoleta and Senator Miguel Zubiri.
Marcos' spokesman Vic Rodriguez said Marcoleta is the team's first pick. He mentioned the SAGIP Party-list representative's credentials as a current House Deputy Speaker who has been in Congress since 2013 and is known for slashing the Commission on Human Rights' budget to ₱1,000 five years ago.
Marcoleta initially filed his certificate of candidacy under the PDP-Laban party. He is also known as one of the leading figures in blocking the franchise renewal of broadcast giant ABS-CBN in 2020.
On the other hand, Gadon was included because he "had been helping the BBM team for years," said Rodriguez. The Supreme Court recently suspended the lawyer from practice for verbal assault against a journalist.
Meanwhile, Zubiri's addition to the slate has bolstered the team's position in Mindanao, the senator's bailiwick, Rodriguez added. Zubiri is currently the Senate Majority Leader.
The tandem now has ten people in their partial lineup, including Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, former senator and Rep. Loren Legarda, former Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, former presidential spokesman Harry Roque, former Senator Jinggoy Estrada, former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, and former Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista.
